July 9-13 at Drake University

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This could be you!


The Des Moines Area Religious Council and The Comparison Project at Drake University are proud to co-host the Interfaith Youth Leadership Camp July 9-13 at Drake University. High School students and 2024 graduates will explore the diverse religious communities of the Des Moines Metro, visiting communities for worship services, meals, and conversations. Each camper will explore their own faith journey and learn about their neighbors’ faith experiences, practices, and beliefs.

Participation in the Interfaith Youth Leadership Camp is offered at no cost thanks to our generous partners and supporters.

apply now
Group photo campers screening

How to Participate

Campers are selected based on their application submissions and should be …

  • An incoming high schooler in their senior or junior year or a first-year college student.
  • Complete an online application by May 31, 2025. This application includes an essay response conveying a personal meaningful faith experience, practice, or belief.
  • Be interested in learning more about the many diverse faith traditions in the Des Moines Metro (and share their own story!).
  • Be willing to get out of your comfort zone!
Apply now

2025 campers will be selected following the closing of this year’s application and will be notified no later than Friday, June 7.

group of young girls smile outside of mosque.

I became more aware of the similarities between every system of beliefs and that all are built on love… there are so many ways to worship, and all are unique and valuable.

— Audrey Martin, 2023 camp participant

Stories From Past Campers

Since the first Interfaith Youth Leadership Camp in 2017, over 120 alumni have shared their faith journey through a ‘personal narrative’ video project. These short documentaries convey one meaningful faith experience, practice, or belief to put what the campers learn during the week into practice.

Apply to Participate

2025 campers will be selected following the closing of this year’s application on Saturday, May 31, and will be notified no later than Friday, June 7.

Interfaith Youth Leadership Camp 2025 Application

The Des Moines Area Religious Council and The Comparison Project at Drake University are proud to co-host the ninth annual Interfaith Youth Leadership Camp on July 9-13. Please complete the included application by May 31st to be considered for this year’s event.

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Personal Information

Name*
Address*
Date of Birth*
Have you applied to and been accepted at Drake University?
If so, are you planning to attend Drake during the 2025-2026 academic year?

Parent/Guardian Information

Your Faith

Please note: you do not need to be affiliated with a particular religion or faith community to be involved with Interfaith Youth Leadership Camp, this is just to provide us with a bit more information on your faith background. Answers of “none” are perfectly acceptable.
Faith Tradition/Religion

Essay Question

You must complete this section for your application to be considered. Please describe a moment where a specific religious tradition, insight, or idea helped you come to a better understanding about your faith and the faith of others. Your submission must be a minimum of 300 words to be considered. You insights can focus on any of the following categories… 1) Moments of inspiration or enrichment from people or ideas of other traditions …(2) Moments of connection or relationship with people or ideas of other traditions … (3) Moments of prejudice or conflict with people or ideas of other traditions … (4) Moments of action or cooperation with people or ideas of other traditions … (5) Moments of recognizing difference with other religious people or ideas, yet feeling admiration.
Accepted file types: doc, pdf, docx, Max. file size: 40 MB.